9 Nutty Pet Businesses

The Pet Biz is Still Booming

People love their pets, and they also evidently love spending money on them. Americans will spend $45.5 billion on their animal companions this year, according to The American Pet Products Association. That’s a 5% jump from last year. (Think you're spending too much on pet care? Listen to one couple give insight into pet budgeting.) What follows are a few of the stranger items out there.
Photo Credit: David Lazarus

Pet Caskets

The number of items relating to dead pets is astounding. Pet caskets are pretty pedestrian, but coming up in the lineup you’ll see some truly interesting ones. The strangest this about the caskets is the potential price tag. We found one for $800.
Photo Credit: Chris.Corwin

Crazy Animal Breeding

Who wants a giant rabbit? Anyone? It’s bigger than my Great Dane (see slide 1). Anyone? Anyone? Well someone wants one. People also want glowing fish, enormous cows and fainting goats (they’re less likely to run away because they pass out when they get excited).
Photo Credit: Jordan Grant

Crazy Cremation Strategies

Getting your recently departed pet cremated isn’t a new idea but people are coming up with new and interesting ways to store their pets’ ashes. One guy designed an urn that actually looks like the animal in question. We found the patent and found one for sale for $355.
Photo Credit: U.S. Patent Office, Charles J. Johansen et al

Christmas Ornaments Made of Reindeer Poop

A Jet for Your Pet

This summer, Pet Airways began operating flights exclusively for animals. According to an LA Times article about the business, “The fares, which start at $150 for a one-way trip and depend on the size of the animal and the length of the journey, are comparable to major U.S. airlines' fees for pets. Flights follow a set route, beginning in New York, then traveling to Baltimore/Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Denver; and ending in Los Angeles.”
Photo Credit: Pet Airlines

Never Can Say Goodbye

Finally, if you absolutely refuse to let your dead pet go, you can have it stuffed and put into a position that you like. It’s pretty amazing what they can do with dead pets the days, but it ain’t exactly cheap. Xtreme Taxidermy in Romance, Ark., charges $500 for the first 10 pounds your pet weighs and then $49 for each additional pound. But we gotta say, their work is pretty impressive.
Photo Credit: Beverly & Pack